Romancing the Genres: spiritual practices

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.

This month is Potpourri at Romancing the Genres. The following is a post I wrote for our August theme that I didn't use.

Old Stories?

Old Stories is the other topic. Many authors, when asked about when they first started writing, will talk about elementary or high school, maybe college. Others will talk about their first novel, buried under the bed or the back of a closet or drawer never to see the light of day.

There are many thoughts about those old stories. Here are mine.

While I’ve spent a great deal of my professional life writing (court reports, case notes, adoption home studies, post placement reports, and training programs complete with instructor and participant manuals, I never wrote fiction until late 1999/early 2000 when the visions, dreams and dialogue surrounding the seven women who are the main characters in The Sacred Women’s Circle series showed up.

I’ve no old stories to dig out and rewrite or polish. I do have a non-fiction book based on a training I developed that is waiting for me to rewrite or polish i.e. finish. And I do have the cover!

There are writers who thoughtfully consider story elements, do character studies, plot out each chapter, write synopses – in other words they have their story outlined before they start the actual book. Other writers are more like me. They sit down and see what shows up on the page.

I will admit that when I was writing Gabriella: Chaos and Symmetry, Sophia: Every Ending Is A Beginning and the first book in the “Visions” spinoff series, Visions of Happiness, I had to keep track so the story line, time line and characters were congruent with what had come before. It’s very disconcerting as a reader to find a character’s hair and eye color change from one book to the next much less their age or another element of their life.

Dreams, Visions and Dialogue

The dreams, visions and dialogue that, at times, kept me up until all hours of the night, were my old stories. I’ve worked over fifty years in social services as well as survived some rocky spots in my own personal life. My characters are like many of us who have or are still facing issues: divorce, infidelity, domestic violence, single parenting, financial struggles, abandonment, overcoming childhood abuse, death of a spouse and then there are the physical challenges of recovery from a major accident or injury and recurrent breast cancer.

In many ways I share traits with these women. There is a piece of me in every story…more of me in some than in others. And no, I’ve not danced like Hunter: The Dancer and The Drum and I’ve made drums. I’ve not had a luscious garden like Sophia, but I love gardens and I have taught in a public high school. I’ve survived domestic violence, infidelity and divorce, raised a son and grandchildren, weathered financial struggles, dealt with cancer although not breast cancer. And once I had a circle of women who accepted, supported and loved me, as well as my own spiritual practices that bring me peace, all the trials and tribulations that still occur in my life are easier.

When you read my Sacred Women’s Circle series you meet seven women who will remind you of yourself or someone you know or someone you love who also struggles with these everyday issues. You will learn how Lily, Elizabeth, Diana, Ashley, Hunter, Gabriella and Sophia overcome those obstacles and with the acceptance and support of The Circle find their Happily-Ever-After.

My non-fiction: Staying Sane in a Crazy World, provides you with a template to create your Personal Staying Sane Plan to help you through the challenging times.

You can find all of my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource. If you want a print copy? Ask your local independent bookstore to order it for you. If you are in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, my books are carried at Jan’s Paperbacks and Arte Soleil.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshley.net

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB!

Masks and Me by Judith Ashley

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

There are several ways to interpret Romancing The Genres topic “Masks”. The masks we wear around other people to protect ourselves, the masks we wear to fool ourselves, the masks we wear for Halloween and Carnival, if we celebrate those holidays.

Judith with Snowy Owl Mask

Another type of mask is one we make and wear or, in my case, one that was made for me.

My power animal is the Snowy Owl. One of my gifted Circle sisters decided to make masks of our individual power animals. She’s made Bear, Coyote, Snowy Owl and is in the process of making her own – Badger.

Over the years I’ve made several masks for myself. They are carefully wrapped in tissue and stored away.

However, my newest mask is a different story. I want to be able to see it without the hassle of getting it out of the bag I store it in.

So, I’ve been on a quest to find something. I checked a plastic store and found the storage cube they sell when someone has a collectible or favorite football helmet. I’ve also found a small cube at a merchandise display store. I’ll take the mask there to see how it would look/fit.

Why a protective shell for it?

Feathers.

I won’t be able to vacuum it and in my house, no matter what I do, there is still some dust.

The plastic cube will allow me to see it while protecting it. I plan on opening it up every couple of weeks because the idea of my Snowy Owl mask being kept in an airless space is unsettling.

Will I wear it? Of course I will. Perhaps not constantly everyday but on those occasions when I want to feel closer to my power totem.

What are your spiritual practices that bring you comfort and peace?

Friday, December 2, 2022

Old Stories?

Friday, September 30, 2016

Masks and Me